Aysor, Armenia
Jan 16 2010

Azerbaijan’s response behavior is `disproportionate’

Moscow Patriarchate foreign affairs chief Monk Philippe said the
response behavior of Azerbaijan to his words about `three acting
Moscow Patriarchate churches in Armenia including in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’ is definitely `disproportionate’.

Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Religious Organization Relations
chairman Hidayat Orujov in response to Monk Philippe’s saying demanded
satisfaction from the Baku Diocese bishop. In particular, Monk
Philippe said there are three Moscow Patriarchate churches in Armenia,
of these one is placed in Yerevan, the second ` in Russia’s military
ground in Gyumri town, and the third one in the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic.

Despite NKR is Armenian-populated country, historically Armenian from
ancient times and separated from Azerbaijan after collapse of the
Soviet Union, Hidayat Orujov in response to this said Karabakh is part
and parcel of Azerbaijan. He said doesn’t understand why churches in
Karabakh are named `churches in Armenia’.

`It seems to me the comprehensive and full explanations have been
already given,’ said Monk Philippe. `If someone wants to incandesce
relations between Russia and Azerbaijan or to find one more reason to
fight against its own democratically elected government through this
unwitting clause which was said in connection with His Holiness
Patriarch Cyril’s upcoming visit to Armenia then God will judge them.
Who sows the wind, he will sow the storm, says the Scripture.’

`I wouldn’t like this wards caused by human fatigue could become a
reason for serious diplomatic response behavior,’ Monk Philippe added
calling for forgetting this and stopping to crank a problem.